Arrest of Mohammad Mehdi Hatef, philosophy researcher and translator, in Tehran
29-April-2026
Category: Arrests
28 April 2026
News group: Arrest –
Breathing in Confinement: Mohammad Mehdi Hatef, a well-known researcher and translator in the field of philosophy, was arrested in Tehran on 22 April by security forces.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, agents confiscated a number of his personal belongings and electronic devices at the time of his arrest.
Mohammad Mehdi Hatef, born in 1984 in Tehran, holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology, a master’s degree in Western philosophy from Allameh Tabataba’i University, and a PhD in philosophy from the Institute for Research in Philosophy in Iran. In recent years, he has become known for translating important works in philosophy, science, and the humanities. Among his translations are:
The Inner Level: How More Equal Societies Reduce Stress, Restore Sanity and Improve Everyone’s Wellbeing by Richard Wilkinson (Kargadan Publishing, 2023); Science and Its Problems: Towards a Theory of Scientific Growth by Larry Laudan (Nashr-e Ney, 2023); The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal by Jared Diamond (Manoosh Publishing, 2023); and A Darwinian Left: Politics, Evolution and Cooperation by Peter Singer (Kargadan Publishing, 2023).
According to the report, in the past two months a significant number of artists, writers, and students have been arrested—detentions that some observers have described as widespread and concerning.
At the time of writing, no precise information has been released regarding Mohammad Mehdi Hatef’s place of detention, the authority responsible for his arrest, the charges against him, his physical and psychological condition, or his access to a lawyer of his choosing and contact with his family.
This researcher’s arrest comes amid reports of an increasingly securitised environment in the country. At the same time as rising tensions and military confrontations between the Islamic Republic, the United States, and Israel, some officials have described conditions as approaching a “wartime situation”. In such a climate, various sources report increased security pressures, including widespread arrests, the implementation of execution sentences, and the imposition of severe and prolonged restrictions on internet access.